Ax



C. M. DOOLITTLE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-15, 1919.

1,354,384. PatentedSept. 28,1920.

WI TNLSS: I N V EN TOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER M. DOOLITTLE, 0F KINGSTON, NEW YORK.

Application filed December 15, 1919. Serial No. 344,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crrnsrnn M. DooLIrwin, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kingston, in the county of Ulster and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Axes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cutting tools, particularly to axes, and has for its object the provision of an ax having its blade semi-hollow ground whereby the ax may perform its functions very efficiently and with less energy than the ordinary ax and at the same time be withdrawn very readily from a piece of wood or log into which it is driven. The blade in common use has its metal portion wedge-shaped with a convex taper from the corners and so made that when driven into a piece of wood the handle is worked up and down to remove the blade. If the ax were of the same thickness throughout the blade or if it were entirely hollow ground to increase its penetrating quality, it would be very difiicult to extract. It is with the above features in mind that the present invention has been designed which resides in the provision of an ax having its blade slightly convexfrom the cutting edge backwardly whereby to pro vide strength, which is relatively thin for a distance extending appreciably back from the edge and which has a portion backwardlv of the hollow ground portion slightly convex so as to facilitate its extraction from a piece of wood.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view the invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation,

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the center,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken from corner to corner of the blade,

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along a line spaced back somewhat from the cutting edge, and

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form. a

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates the head having the usual eye 11 for engagement upon a handle, not shown. The blade is designated by the numeral 12 and has its cutting edge 13 curved, as shown, and which has its edge portion formed with a slightly convex taper 14 for the sake of strength. From the point A at the center of the edge 13 to the point F, the blade is thinnest, insuring maximum penetration commensurate with strength required for axes of various weights and sizes. From the point A to the lines D, the blade is hollow ground to be slightly concave and from the lines D to the lines E the blade is formed with a slightly convex taper. The lines D represent shoulders formed at the juncture of the hollow ground portion 15 with the body portion and these shoulders provide for loosening the blade from wood into which it is driven, when the handle is worked up and down.

In Fig. 6 it will be observed that I have provided a modified form in which the blade is provided with two hollow ground portions 16 spaced apart by the thicker por tion 17 of the tongue-like formation.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawing it will be apparent that I have thus provided an ax head which has its blade peculiarly formed to provide maximum penetration with the minimum effort and without sacrificing strength of the blade and without adding to the labor involved in extracting the head from a piece of wood into which it is driven.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An ax head having its blade tapered at one edge whereby to define a cutting edge and having its faces adjacent the edge hollow ground from the corners to a point along the longitudinal center line back from the cutting edge, the juncture of the hollow ground portion with the body of the blade defining curved shoulders leading substantially to the corners.

2. An ax head having both sides of its blade hollow ground from the corners of the blade to a point spaced from the edge along the longitudinal center line whereby to define substantially triangular concaved areas, the juncture of each hollow portion with the body of the blade defining curved shoulders and the blade having its opposite side edges tapered from the curved shoulers.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

CHESTER M. DOOLITTLE. 

